Devex: With gender equity comes vasectomy, and vice versa
Roy Jacobstein, a senior medical adviser at IntraHealth International

“Increasing access to vasectomy isn’t easy or a quick fix in low-income countries, but investing in it is the right thing to do. … Gender norms have a lot to do with it. Family planning is generally viewed as a woman’s responsibility; consequently, services are geared toward women. … If all 225 million women with an unmet need for modern contraception received services, such as a husband’s vasectomy, over two million women would be spared serious maternal disability or death. So policymakers, donors, program leaders, and family planning advocates need to step up and lean in by addressing gender inequities and health system constraints. Vasectomy can be made as accessible and affordable in low-income countries as it is in higher-resourced countries…” (9/11).